Event Pick: Dwight Yoakam at Maymont Park

Aug. 28

People forget how bleak music was in the ’80s. It was a dismal time of corporate banalities. One of the saving graces of the era was the emergence of Dwight Yoakam. Almost single-handedly, he made country music relevant again. The importance of his early albums, “Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc.,” “Hillbilly Deluxe” and “Buenos Noches from a Lonely Room” cannot be overstated. They represented a seismic shift in the public’s perception and awareness of music made by and for everyday people. Since becoming one of the most unlikely multiplatinum-selling artists of the time, Yoakam has continued to follow his muse, appearing in films, most famously for his riveting portrayal as the abusive alcoholic boyfriend in the 1996 film, “Sling Blade,” and making music on his own terms. On Sunday, Aug. 28, the man Johnny Cash once called his favorite singer brings his signature brand of hillbilly music to the outdoor stage at Maymont Park. Doors open at 7 p.m. $35-$65. maymont.org.